1) Field of Invention
The invention relates to the ice hockey goaltender's protective leg pads. The invention is a hinged knee joint that enables natural movement for the player's knees, without sacrificing any protection and without reliance on the breaking in, shifting or flexibility of the pad's side wall materials.
2) Description of Prior Art
The most commonly used goaltender's protective pad, is one that is made up of vertical columns stuffed with deer hair and horizontal columns across the knee. This placement of horizontal columns coupled with a very shallow channel for the player's leg affords satisfactory flexibility to the wearer's knee. However, in the newer flat, foam filled pads, the leg channel is very deep and the side walls of the pad are very distinguished. Regardless of how flexible the front panel is, the side walls make flexibility physically impossible.